Unity in diversity

My faith tradition has several enduring principles…short statements that try to catch up in a nutshell what our focus should be as we attempt to live out our faith.

One of those principles is unity in diversity. That’s been a challenging one for many who wonder how there can be unity if we accept diversity in various forms. This is especially true when there are widely divergent views on some issues based on culture and geography.

I thought of that this morning when I read the morning sharing from Steven Charleston on Facebook. For those who may not be familiar with him, he is an Native American elder and a retired Episcopal bishop. Each morning he spends time in meditation and shares the thoughts that come to him in a way that allows people from a variety of traditions to find meaning in them.

This was what he shared this morning:

We are one in heart and many in mind. Spiritual unity is possible when people do not have to agree with one another to love one another. Our kindness, compassion and support come from the heart as we live together in peace. At the same time, our ideas, visions and opinions may vary widely as we continue our creative work together for the common good. We are one in heart and many in mind.

We don’t have to think alike. We don’t have to act alike. We don’t even have to believe alike to have unity if we truly love one another.

Since I am a follower of Jesus, that is where my perspective comes from…and I believe that was the focus of Jesus’ response when he was asked what the greatest commandment was. He said that the greatest one was to love God with all our being, but he didn’t stop there. He went on to say that the second one was similar–to love our fellow human beings as we love ourselves.

We can delight in our diversity…and at the same time we can also live in unity. It’s not necessarily going to be easy–but it’s the only way.

What century am I in?

Sometimes I feel like I’m no longer living in the 21st century!

I grew up believing that scientists were people who studied our world to find out more about it and to help us live wisely in it.

I grew up believing that libraries were important parts of our communities…places where we could go to learn and to expand our minds.

I grew up believing that the goal of education was to help us learn how to think creatively and expansively…to not put ourselves in little boxes.

I grew up believing that the purpose of religion was to help us believe in something bigger than ourselves, regardless of whether we named it Divine Love, God, Allah, or something else. And I also believed that the main tenet of religion was to love God and each other with all our being.

But now?

I hear people saying that scientists can’t be believed…that they are just looking for things that “prove” what they already believe.

Libraries and librarians are being attacked for having books that some person may not agree with or may not want their child to read. Instead of being seen as people and places that can help us grow, they are seen by far too many as some kind of “evil” places and people.

Education has forced teachers to often “teach to the test” instead of helping children learn how to think. And educators are also under attack when exposing students to ideas they may not have thought of.

And instead of encouraging us to love others, far too often religion is now being used to demand adherence to a specific way of understanding God while demonizing any other understanding.

It feels like I’m living in a world that is going backwards…back to a time when men wanted women to be kept barefoot and pregnant…when we refused to acknowledge diversity–of race, gender, sexuality…when science and religion were enemies…when education was limited to the few “elites” and was used to support a specific world view…when superstition held sway.

I don’t want to live in that world! And so I’m going to continue to advocate for a world that allows–and encourages–each of us to live to our full potential…a world that understands that there is much we do not yet comprehend about our planet…a world in which we willingly share with each other so that none are left hungry or unhoused or fearful of violence.

To everything there is a season…

Back in 1965 The Byrds released a song that I loved…and it’s a song that’s been running through my mind this last couple of days. Its title was “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and the words came directly from the writer known as the Teacher in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8):

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We go through the seasons of life in so many ways–spring / summer / fall / winter…infancy / childhood / youth / adulthood / senior age…and even in these seasons, there are “mini-seasons” that we experience.

For many right now, this is a time to mourn. We mourn the violence and hatred towards “the other.” We mourn the senseless loss of life through war. We mourn the loss of loved ones. We mourn the loss of homes due to weather-related situations. We mourn the loss of beloved places and artifacts in a faith community.

And yet this scripture…this song…can also bring hope. We will not stay stuck in a particular season, but the seasons will turn; they will change.

There will be a time of healing…a time when we will be able to dance again. There will be a time to embrace each other…a time of peace.

Living through the dark seasons is difficult and challenging. But the seasons will turn.

 

Time to let go

One of the challenges–and sometimes a perk–of getting older is that you realize that it’s time to let go of items and events.

Sometimes that’s pretty easy. You discover that what seemed so important at one point no longer holds the same meaning for you. Or you discover that you are tired of having so much “stuff” in the house to dust and vacuum around. You may find that the events that kept you so busy for so long now take up time that you want to use in other ways.

But sometimes it’s much more difficult.

Some “things” carry memories and sentiment that still mean a lot to you…memories of people now gone or events that changed your life.

Events may be ways you have been involved in ministry in some form and you wonder if there is anything that can fill the hole that will be left when you no longer provide it in the way you have over the years.

Sometimes you have no choice but to let go because you just don’t have the energy to keep up…or you begin dealing with health situations that require a change.

I’ve been providing music ministry by playing for church for almost 70 years now. It has not only been a ministry for others; it has also fed my soul. Recently part of that ministry has involved accompanying a choir as they provide ministry to various congregations in my faith tradition.

But I’ve now found that it’s time to let go. I no longer have the energy to keep up with all the choir activities. I have been dealing with some health situations over the past year that have made it not possible to sit on a backless organ bench for the length of a service, although I can still offer piano ministry by sitting in a chair rather than on a bench or stool…and I can still do some organ playing as long as I am careful with where and for how long.

That’s not been an easy decision. I’ve had to give myself permission to mourn the loss of something that has been important most of my life. But in making that decision, I have discovered that some other possibilities have opened up…including composition, something I was interested in many years ago but put to one side as life intervened.

Learning when it is time to let go can be one of the most challenging lessons of life. But seeing it not so much as a “have to” but instead as a way of allowing other doors to open can make it an easier decision to make.

Yes, America needs saving…

There’s been a lot of talk already this presidential election season about how America needs to be “saved”…and which candidate(s) can be that “savior.”

I do believe that America needs saving…but from what?

We need to be saved from the hatred and vitriol that is focused on those who are “other”…whether that otherness is skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status…or any of the numerous ways we divide ourselves from each other.

We need to be saved from the lack of civility in our disagreements. It’s fine to have disagreements, but we can disagree without being disagreeable.

We need to be saved from our fear of books. Books can introduce us to other cultures, other people, other ideas–and we need that knowledge since we live in an interconnected world.

We need to be saved from our love affair with guns. There is nothing in our Constitution that promotes the idea that anyone and everyone should have whatever kind of weapon they want to have…and odn’t need any training or education.

We need to be saved from our lack of understanding about mental health. People with mental health issues have an illness and need help, not to be demonized and ostracized.

We need to be saved from our focus on “me, me, me”…and understand that sometimes we need to let go of our own desires for the good of all.

We need to be saved from our fears of science. Scientists don’t get everything right, but science can help us be healthier—and protect each other.

We need to be saved from our desires for authoritarianism. Yes, sometimes it does seem like it would be nice to have someone tell us everything we ought to be doing, but that is not the way of democracy. Democracy can be messy at times, but when we are willing to work within it, we can make society better for everyone.

We need to be saved from our willingness to look the other way when we see injustice…when we see people in need. Each of us could easily find ourselves in those positions and would want someone to see us; why is it so hard for us to see others?

America does need saving, and it’s up to each of us to be part of that process.